Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in extending the appeals process to cover farmers involved in agri-environment and afforestation schemes who incur penalties in their CAP subsidy claims and farmers who wish to appeal against Suckler Cow and Sheep Annual Premium quota arrangements.

Ross Finnie: I made a statement to Parliament on 4 October 2000 setting out the new three-stage appeals procedures for farmers penalised in relation to their European Union subsidy claims and to payments made under certain other schemes.

  Amending legislation extending coverage of the procedures to the main agri-environment and afforestation schemes will take effect from 29 June 2001 and will cover decisions on these schemes from 1 January this year. The first two stages of the appeals procedure will be extended to quota arrangements. The full procedure—including the Scottish Land Court stage—will extend to quotas later this year once the underlying quota legislation has been updated.

Birds

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15749 by Rhona Brankin on 29 May 2001, how the phrase "while [a] nest is in use or being built" from section 1 (1) (b) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 can be interpreted as applying "outwith the breeding season" as specified in Article 5 (b) of the EU Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409).

Rhona Brankin: I have previously indicated that the Scottish Executive considers that section 1 (1) (b) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 fully implements the provisions of Article 5 (b) of the Wild Birds Directive as it protects all nests in use. Ultimately, of course, it is for the courts to interpret statute.

Birds

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15749 by Rhona Brankin on 29 May 2001, whether the Partnership Against Wildlife Crime has considered the issue of damage to nest sites outwith the breeding season or received any advice related to the issue from either the Joint Nature Conservation Committee or Scottish Natural Heritage.

Rhona Brankin: Neither the UK Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime, or its Scottish Working Group, has considered the issue of damage to bird nest sites outwith the breeding season as part of the proposals for legislative change set out in The Nature of Scotland , nor have they received advice related to this issue from either the Joint Nature Conservation Committee or Scottish Natural Heritage.

Birds

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15749 by Rhona Brankin on 29 May 2001, whether Scottish Natural Heritage referred to the issue of damage to nest sites outwith the breeding season in its response to The Nature of Scotland and, if so, what Scottish Natural Heritage’s comments were.

Rhona Brankin: Consultation on The Nature of Scotland ended on 29 May and responses are now being analysed. Scottish Natural Heritage’s (SNH) response did refer to the issue of damage to nest sites outwith the breeding season and will be taken into account by ministers. I have asked the chief executive to provide you with a copy of SNH’s response. A copy will also be placed in the Parliament’s reference centre.

Deaf People

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time courses are available in Scotland leading to the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People qualification and which institutions run them.

Nicol Stephen: This information is not held centrally.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of illegal discharge of slurry to a water course were referred by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to the Procurator Fiscal under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and how many prosecutions there were as a result in each of the last four years.

Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the information requested is not held centrally.

  Some information about successful prosecutions is given by the agency on its website at http://www.sepa.org.uk/envdata/prosecutions/.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were referred by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to the Procurator Fiscal under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and how many prosecutions there were as a result in each of the last four years.

Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the information requested is not held centrally.

  Some information about successful prosecutions is given by the agency on its website at http://www.sepa.org.uk/envdata/prosecutions/.

Fisheries

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the Fisheries Council held in Luxembourg on 18 June 2001.

Rhona Brankin: I attended the Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 18 June as part of the UK delegation.

  The council held a policy debate about the Commission’s Green Paper on the future of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The UK stated that the primary objective for the CFP was to achieve a policy which is both economically and environmentally sustainable and one which involves the stakeholders more closely in the management decisions affecting them. We stressed the need to build on existing elements of policy such as relative stability, Hague Preference, 6- and 12-mile limits and the Shetland Box. We also advocated the setting up of regional bodies, involving fishermen alongside managers and scientists, to tackle stock conservation issues. These should be aimed at securing a greater sense of ownership by the industry.

  The council discussed the general state of fish stocks and in particular the recovery plans for cod and hake. The commission presented its long-term recovery plans and made reference to ongoing negotiations with Norway. The UK recognised the problems with the stocks but emphasised the importance of securing industry support for the recovery plans through meaningful consultation. I highlighted the need for both measures and the long-term plans to be fully thought through and to recognise the difficulties involved in managing the mixed fisheries in the North Sea.

  The council agreed a set of conclusions about the commission’s Biodiversity Action Plan for fisheries. It also received an initial presentation from the commission about the extension of the current multi-annual guidance programme (MAGP) and agreed to extend until 31 December the temporary aid scheme for Spanish and Portuguese vessels affected by the failure to secure a new fisheries agreement with Morocco. This is funded from within existing structural funds allocations.

Fisheries

Mr Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will announce the key performance targets it has set for Fisheries Research Services for 2001-02.

Rhona Brankin: I have set the following targets for Fisheries Research Services (FRS) for the financial year 2001-02.

  Delivery of Service

  To achieve 93% of the performance targets set in the Schedules to the Service Level Agreement.

  To achieve 80% of the milestones agreed for Research and Development projects.

  To achieve an output of 0.7 publications per member of staff.

  To produce 16 information packs and eight major articles in the fishing press.

  Quality of Service

  To submit the scientific work of the Aquatic Environment Programme at the FRS Marine Laboratory to a peer review during 2001-02, and to put in place an agreed Action Plan to implement recommendations by the end of March 2002.

  To achieve accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, by March 2002, of the monitoring programmes for three new areas of work.

  Efficiency Targets

  Full economic costs to be recovered from external customers (other than those agreed to be undertaken at marginal or shared costs).

  To restrict administrative staff costs to a maximum of 17% of the total staff running costs.

  To achieve a research vessel utilisation of 535 days per year, operating at a daily cost of £5,500 (£12,500 full resource costs) for Scotia and £2,200 (£2,500 full resource costs) for Clupea.

  To produce accounts on target, enabling the 2000-01 FRS Report and Accounts to be published in July.

  To achieve cash releasing efficiency gains to the value of 1% of FRS’ budget.

  The chief executive of FRS will be accountable to me for the agency’s performance against these targets.

Further Education

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of industrial action by staff in the further education sector there have been since incorporation.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This information is not held centrally.

Further Education

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider ways in which the further education sector might move towards collective bargaining at a national level in order to rectify any disparities in pay and conditions that exist in colleges and minimise any possible disruption to students through industrial action by staff.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Boards of Management of FE colleges are each legally responsible for matters relating to the contracts of employment of staff within their college, including pay and conditions. This offers boards the flexibility, as they see fit, to reflect local conditions and circumstances, to secure best value for money and efficiencies and to strengthen their college’s future.

  I place great emphasis on the potential benefits to colleges from joint ventures and collaboration, including, where boards see this as appropriate, in the area of staff pay and conditions.

Hospitals

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why figures regarding the Save Stobhill Campaign were provided to the Kirkintilloch and Bishopbriggs Herald on 15 May 2001 before such figures were provided on 29 May in answer to question S1W-15648 which was lodged on 4 May.

Susan Deacon: The figures in question are not of a confidential or sensitive nature and could be obtained from the Scottish Executive. There was, therefore, no justification for not providing them in response to the enquiry from the Kirkintilloch and Bishopbriggs Herald .

Planning

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a summary of responses to its consultation on new guidelines and policy for mobile phone masts and when it expects to bring forward new legislation and/or guidelines as a result.

Lewis Macdonald: The regulations have now been laid and will come into force on Monday 23 July. We will publish an overview of the responses to the consultation paper during July.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the full cost was of the report Street Cleaning GAE Assessment prepared in 1999 by Pion Economics on its behalf and whether it will publish the report.

Peter Peacock: The cost of the report was £18,342. A copy of the report is held in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. no. 14426).

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the full cost was of the report GAE Population Distribution Indicators: Phase II prepared in 1998 by Pion Economics for the Scottish Office and whether it will publish the report.

Peter Peacock: The cost of the report was £23,855. A copy of the report is held in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. no. 14427).

Sign Language

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many sign language interpreters there are in Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are currently 37 fully qualified sign language interpreters in Scotland.

Sign Language

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time courses in sign language are available in Scotland and which institutions run them.

Nicol Stephen: This information is not held centrally.

Transport

Mr John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average level of grant under the Powershift programme has been as a percentage of the total average cost of converting a vehicle to liquid petroleum gas.

Rhona Brankin: Powershift grants are on average 60% of vehicle conversion cost.

Transport

Mr John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost has been of administering the Powershift programme in each year since the programme started.

Rhona Brankin: The total cost to the Energy Saving Trust of its administering the Powershift programme from its inception up to date is £383,000.

Transport

Mr John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many companies have received grants under the Powershift programme to convert vehicles to run on liquid petroleum gas in each year since the programme started.

Rhona Brankin: A total of 92 Scottish companies have received grants since the programme began. The figures for each year are broken down in the table.

  


Year 
  

Companies 
  



1997-98 
  

4 
  



1998-99 
  

2 
  



1999-2000 
  

22 
  



2000-01 
  

51 
  



2001-02 (part year) 
  

13 
  



Total 
  

92

Transport

Mr John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual budget has been for the Powershift programme and how much has been spent under it in each year since the programme started.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive only took over financial responsibility for its share of the UK Powershift programme at devolution. Therefore, there has been a separate Scottish element of the budget only since 2000.

  

 

Budget 
  

Spend 
  



1996-97 
  

800,000 
  

800,000 
  



1997-98 
  

2,000,000 
  

1,800,000 
  



1998-99 
  

2,200,000 
  

2,200,000 
  



1999-2000 
  

3,300,000 
  

3,600,000 
  



2000-01 
  

*500,000 
  

345,000 
  



2001-02 
  

*1,000,000 
  

N/A 
  



  * Scottish budget.

Transport

Mr John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individual grant applications have been made and how many have been awarded under the Powershift programme in each year since the programme started.

Rhona Brankin: The following table shows Powershift grant applications and the number of awards.

  


Year 
  

Number of Applications 
  

Number of Awards 
  



1997-98 
  

8 
  

6 
  



1998-99 
  

8 
  

5 
  



1999-2000 
  

73 
  

50 
  



2000-01 
  

218 
  

113 
  



2001-02 
  

30 
  

26 
  



Total 
  

337 
  

200

Transport

Mr John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individual vehicles have been converted to run on liquid petroleum gas under the Powershift programme in each year since the programme started.

Rhona Brankin: The following table shows the number of converted vehicles for each year.

  


 


Vehicles 
  



1997-98 
  

7 
  



1998-99 
  

10 
  



1999-2000 
  

309 
  



2000-01 
  

307 
  



2001-02 
  

59 
  



Total 
  

692

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the construction of a new Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters at Gogarburn would have on traffic flow and what financial assistance would be offered to the bank or the City of Edinburgh Council to promote mass transit schemes for the area.

Sarah Boyack: The effect of any major development on traffic volumes on the adjacent local roads is a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council to take into account. The Scottish Executive has, of course, an interest in trunk road impacts and will in due course take part in discussions with the City of Edinburgh Council concerning an assessment of traffic impacts. The Executive’s Public Transport Fund is available to assist transport authorities towards meeting the capital costs of public transport investments.

Water

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the protection of Scotland’s water environment.

Rhona Brankin: I am publishing today a consultation paper  Rivers, Lochs, Coasts: The Future for Scotland’s Waters . This paper sets out how we propose to secure and promote the environmental health of our rivers, lochs and coastal waters for future generations. It seeks views on the policy proposals that will underpin our planned Water Environment Bill and implement the EC Water Framework Directive.

  Our proposals for a system to manage our water environment in a co-ordinated and comprehensive way will bring significant benefits to Scotland. We aim to ensure the environment is protected and in a way that involves and takes account of all interests. We will need to hear the views of everyone with an interest in the water environment in order to create a successful system. This paper will initiate the debate.

Wildlife

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive who has applied to the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department or its predecessor over the last 15 years for (a) a licence to control protected species or (b) a licence to poison non-protected species; how many such licences were issued, and to whom.

Rhona Brankin: Records of applications received are not held. Detailed information on licences issued is, however, available for the 10-year period 1990-2000, during which a total of 1,956 individual licences were issued and three general licences were in force. In view of the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 1995, I am unable to release personal information such as the names and addresses of licensees.

  I shall write to the member separately to provide a more detailed breakdown of the types of licence issued and the species controlled by those licences. I will place a copy in the Parliament’s reference centre.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Presiding Officer what type and volume of timber, or components including timber, have been ordered to date for the Holyrood Parliament buildings and what the origin and environmental certification was of all such timber.

Sir David Steel: The procurement of approximately 50m 3 of Scottish oak timber for the Holyrood Project, from suppliers throughout Scotland, is nearing completion. All of the suppliers concerned are licensed by the Forestry Commission, which ensures that the timber meets the Holyrood project’s environmental aims and obligations. Two trade packages which include timber elements have already been awarded, the details are as follows:

  1. MSP Office Building Cladding

  Type Appalachian American White Oak

  Volume Approximately 80m3 ordered to date

  Origin Patrick Lumber Co Ltd, Portland, Oregon, USA

  2. MSP Office Building Carpentry and Specialist Joinery

   Type European Oak

  Volume 80m3

  Origin France or Germany (under negotiation)

  Environmental certification details have been requested and as soon as these have been received, the Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group will write to the member with the information and place a copy of the letter in SPICe.

Holyrood Project

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Presiding Officer what type and volume of timber, or components including timber, for Holyrood Parliament buildings are currently the subject of orders out to tender and how the ecological sustainability of this timber is assured, giving relevant extracts from tender documentation.

Sir David Steel: There are currently three Trade Packages out to tender which include elements of oak timber totalling 752m 3 . The individual packages are as follows:

  Trade Package Volume

  1. Assembly Building Specialist Glazing 270m3

  2. Assembly Building Windows 180m3

  3. MSP Office/Queensberry House 302m3

  Timber Flooring

  I understand that specifications for all Holyrood building works packages which include timber state that "all timber and timber-based materials used in the project must either be demonstrably from well managed, regulated, sustainable sources, or be suitable re-used timber re-finished to meet the quality requirements of BS EN942". The Holyrood Progress Group is satisfied that this wording will ensure that the timber procured will be from responsible and sustainable sources.

Holyrood Project

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Presiding Officer what remaining orders for timber or components including timber for Holyrood Parliament buildings are yet to go out to tender.

Sir David Steel: Timber elements will be included in the following trade packages which have still to be tendered:

  1. Assembly Building Timber Flooring

  2. Assembly Building Carpentry and Specialist Joinery

  3. Queensberry House Carpentry and Specialist Joinery

  4. Desks, Counters, etc

  The Convener of the HPG has confirmed that in addition, there will be timber elements in many of the loose furniture items to be procured for the new Parliament building.

Holyrood Project

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Presiding Officer whether internal timber finishing and furnishings for the Holyrood Parliament buildings will be procured from an environmentally certified source.

Sir David Steel: The specifications for timber furnishings for the Holyrood building have not yet been produced, however, an "environmental purchasing policy" is currently being drafted to cover this area of procurement, and will be made available to members when completed. The specifications for internal timber finishings will include the wording "all timber and timber based materials used in the project must either be demonstrably from well managed, regulated, sustainable sources, or be suitable re-used timber re-finished to meet the quality requirements of BS EN942". The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group is satisfied that the wording used will ensure that the timber will be procured from a responsible and sustainable source.

Holyrood Project

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether any sensitivity analyses were undertaken prior to the initial contracts for the Holyrood Project being awarded and following the report on the project for the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by John Spencely and the report by the Auditor General for Scotland, The new Scottish Parliament building: An Examination of the Management of the Holyrood Project ; if so, to which factors any such analyses related, and what the conclusions were of the analyses.

Sir David Steel: The "analysis of sensitivities" is embedded in the project’s risk analysis process, which was initiated in 1998, prior to site occupation and trade package contract tender exercises. The process demands a regular and systematic review of all identified risks and sensitivities, together with the specific actions aimed at managing them, as well as an assessment of the probability and level of exposure in respect of each individual risk. The results are set out in a risk register, presented formally to the Holyrood Progress Group, which currently contains 47 separate risks.

Holyrood Project

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what plans there are to increase the number of places available for people with disabilities in the public gallery of the new Parliament building.

Sir David Steel: Permanent space will be provided for six wheelchair users in the public gallery of the new Parliament building. That number can be   increased (subject to health, safety and fire evacuation regulations) for special occasions, through planned flexibility, by the removal of seats to create additional space for up to a further seven wheelchair users. Other disabled groups such as the visually impaired, hearing impaired and those with cognitive or mobility impairments will also be able to access many, if not all, of the seats in the public gallery.

Parliamentary Business

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answer to question S1W-15143 on 9 May 2001, whether he will outline each step in the process of selecting the venue that will host plenary meetings of the Parliament in May 2002.

Sir David Steel: Both the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and the Parliamentary Bureau will examine various proposals received from local authorities interested in hosting meetings of the Parliament in May 2002. Under Standing Order Rule 2.7 it is for the Parliament to decide, on a motion from the Parliamentary Bureau, that a meeting of the Parliament should be held in another place in Scotland.

Scottish Parliament Staff

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how many (a) senior, (b) middle and (c) junior managers employed in the Scottish Parliament hold recognised management qualifications.

Sir David Steel: Possession of a management qualification is not currently one of the criteria used in recruitment by the SPCB, although for many posts management experience is required. Where management skills are required for a particular post, this competence is tested in the recruitment process. The information sought is not held comprehensively on a database. While some staff have volunteered the information, I am unable to provide definitive information on how many staff hold such a qualification.

Scottish Parliament Staff

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how many managers employed in the Scottish Parliament have had employment law training since May 1999.

Sir David Steel: All issues relating to employment law are dealt with through the Personnel Office and Directorate of Legal Services. All relevant staff have attended training in the period from May 1999 to date as a means of keeping themselves up-to-date with employment law matters.

  The Directorate of Legal Services has put in place outsourcing arrangements with specialist employment lawyers for employment law advice.

Scottish Parliament Staff

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how many managers in the Scottish Parliament have been trained to deal with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Sir David Steel: 23 members of staff attended data protection training presented by the Information Commissioner’s Office in February 2000. Five members of staff have attended subsequent, external courses and workshops including our Data Protection Officer who is in the process of obtaining the ISEB Certificate in Data Protection.

Scottish Parliament Staff

Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how many Scottish Parliament staff have been (a) seconded and (b) recruited from the Scotland Office since May 1999.

Sir David Steel: There have been no Scottish Parliament staff (a) seconded and (b) recruited from the Scotland Office since May 1999.

Scottish Parliament Staff

Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how many Scottish Parliament staff have been (a) seconded and (b) recruited from the Scottish Executive or Scottish Office since January 1999.

Sir David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body did not contract with staff until 1 April 2000. From January 1999 until 1 April 2000, all Scottish Parliament staff were recruited by and seconded from the Scottish Office to the Scottish Parliament. At the present time there are 50 staff on secondment from the Scottish Executive to the Scottish Parliament.

Scottish Parliament Staff

Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how many Scottish Parliament staff have previously worked at Westminster.

Sir David Steel: We do not maintain a database of the previous employment history of our staff. However, to our knowledge, we currently have seven members of staff who joined the Scottish Parliament directly from Westminster.